126 FLIGHT International, 17 January 1981
US Navy finds
Mount St Helens
hot spots
UNITED STATES Navy crews have
used the A-6 Intruder's target recog
nition and attack multisensor (Tram)
to survey the Mount St Helens vol
cano. The Tram sortie was flown by
a TG-4C Academe, a Grumman Gulf-
stream I modified to train A-6
bombardier/navigators. Tram's turret;-
mounted infrared picked out hot spots
on the volcano's north slope.
An Oregon National Guard OV-1
Mohawk assisted in the survey, using
its side-looking radar to penetrate the
ash clouds shrouding the mountain.
The resulting imagery revealed that
nearly a cubic mile of the mountain
had been blown out. The crater
measures 2-2X1-1 miles.
Improved IMato
Hawk control
THE Pentagon has offered the Nato
Hawk surface-to-air missile (Sam) pro
duction organisation a co-production
deal for 29 AN/TSQ-73 Air Defence
Command and Control systems,
known as "Missile Minder." The esti-
mated cost of the package is $120
million. The system improves missile
response times and multi-target track
ing. Missile Minder can be used with
both the Hawk and Nike-Hercules
Sams in the Nato inventory.
Tracer.-. Tracer...
Mitsubishi has delivered the second
prototype "mini-jet" engine, designed
to power the proposed XSSM surface-
launched anti-ship missile, to the
Japanese Technical Research and
Development Institute. The first pro
totype was delivered last September
and has been tested successfully.
XSSM is a derivative of the Mitsubi
shi ASM-1 air-launched anti-ship
missile.
Kawasaki has received a $245,000
contract to begin a five-year pro
gramme to develop a composite, sur-
vivable helicopter rotor system.
A team of Indian Air Foice test pilots
has visited France to evaluate the
Dassault-Breguet Mirage 2000. France
has renewed its offer to sell the air
craft to India after the Mirage F.l
was rejected in favour of the Sepecat
Jaguar International.
India has received an unspecified
number of Mi-8 Hip helicopters. This
latest delivery adds to the 35 Mi-8s
acquired by the Indian Air Force
over the past nine years.
The US Navy has bought 108 sets of
McDonnell Douglas Harpoon anti-ship
missile launch equipment for Lock
heed P-3 Onions and plans to buy 29
more in 1981. About 30 P-3Cs are now
equipped to carry Harpoon and the
first P-3B able to fire the missile is
operational. Integration of Harpoon
with the Grumman A-6E Intruder con
tinues. Initially 50 A-6Es will be modi
fied with eventual plans for all
Intruders to be Harpoon carriers.
West Germany is to increase defence
spending by 6-2 per cent, taking the
1981 budget to £9,000 million. This
represents a real increase of around
2 per cent instead of the 3 per cent
sought by Nato. Additional sums
likely to be made available over the
year will increase spending. Funding
in 1980 is likely to run out at a 2-8
per cent real increase.
India is considering local manufac
ture of a light transport aircraft to
meet Indian coast guard require
ments for some 30 to 40 aircraft. A
committee has suggested that the
Pilatus Britten - Norman Islander
would be a suitable candidate.
Israel has cut its 1981 defence budget
by 25 per cent, limiting spending to
£900 million compared with last
year's £1,200 million. Major projects,
including the Lavi fighter, will go
ahead, the Defence Ministry says,
although new priorities might be
established.
Japan's Ground Self-Defence Force is
testing a new mine which could be
dropped from UH-1H helicopters for
rapid mine-laying. A dispenser sys
tem will be tested later this year and
the Service plans to perform opera
tional tests in 1982 and to introduce
the weapon in 1983.
Japan plans to increase defence
spending by 6-6 per cent in 1981, less
than the 9-7 per cent requested by
the Defence Agency and less than the
minimum rise sought by the United
States.
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